Three More Days

Three. A number of wholeness. Fulfillment.

In Hebrew, shelosh is the word for “three” and it means, harmony; new life; completeness.

The number of the Godhead: the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit

The number of the Old Testament patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

The number of months Moses was hidden as a baby, the number of years spent in Jesus’ earthly ministry, the number of temptations Satan presented Jesus in the Wilderness, the number of prayers Jesus lifted in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest, the number of times Peter denied Jesus and the number of times he was reaffirmed by Jesus with the charge “Feed My sheep”, and the number of Paul’s missionary journeys described in the book of Acts.

It was the third hour of the day when Jesus was crucified. Three hours of darkness covered the earth at the time of His death.

Over and over again in Scripture, the number three rises from the text as evidence of divine control over the smallest to the grandest of events–like fingerprints scattered throughout history as time is held in the hands of God.

Sometimes, the power of “three” is seen in days.

On Mount Moriah, the third day after Abraham had received the command from God to sacrifice his son, he stretched out his hand to kill Isaac and was stopped by the Angel of the Lord. A ram was provided by God and the life of Isaac was spared because of Abraham’s faith. Three days of dread and sorrow…followed by relief and provision!

Jonah lived three days and nights in the belly of a great fish because of his attempt to run and hide from God. On the third day, after Jonah had spent time in prayer, the fish spat him out onto dry land. Three days of guilt and uncertainty…followed by forgiveness and opportunity!

For three days, Mary and Joseph searched for twelve-year-old Jesus in the city of Jerusalem when they noticed He was missing from among their friends and family following the Feast of the Passover. He was finally found in the temple sitting among the teachers, listening and asking questions. Three days of anxiety and fear…followed by comfort and rejoicing!

Saul spent three days without sight after hearing the voice of Jesus and seeing a light shine down from Heaven on the road to Damascus. He didn’t eat or drink and lived in blindness until Ananias laid his hands on him and his vision was restored. Three days of darkness and regret…followed by direction and purpose!

And the darkest day: The day our Savior was nailed to the cross. Crucified for the sins of man. Suffered in shame and died in pain for our redemption. Then, three days later, the best day. The most meaningful day. A day of victory! A day that impacted eternity–all the days before, every day that has passed since, and every day that is still to come. The day the tomb was found empty! The day Jesus rose from the dead! The day Jesus conquered death and defeated Satan!

Three days of mourning and despair…followed by indescribable joy and immeasurable hope!

Life is a mixture of good and bad; mountain tops and valleys; celebration and grief; laughter and tears; but God is the God of it all. He doesn’t change and He doesn’t lie. He keeps all of His promises. He has promised you that He will be with you always and He has promised you hope.

When the hard days come–or if you are in the middle of them right now–whatever you do…don’t quit! Don’t throw in the towel! Don’t let discouragement win!

Hang on for three more days.

If you give up now, you’ll miss what’s coming!

What’s going to happen in three days?? Maybe nothing. But, maybe something life-changing and wonderful.

In three days, your worst day might be replaced with a much better day.

What if three days pass and life still looks pretty bleak? What then? You hang on for three more days. And three more after that. And then three more after that.

The tide will turn. The sun will shine. Hope will rise.

You’ve got this. But, even more importantly, God’s got this. Trust Him to lead you to a place where you will find wholeness; completeness. It’s a journey of transformation. Not an easy one; but one that is worth everything, because at the end of the road, you’re going to look more like Jesus.

Keep on keeping on, my friend. Three more days!